With the calendar wasting away to the Feb. 1, deadline for qualifiers seeking to run for public office this year, another Tallahatchian has thrown her hat into the ring for consideration by local voters, according to information on file Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 24) at the circuit clerk’s office in Charleston.
The latest qualifier — the only one to sign up during the past week — is Beth Ross, 41, of 9358 Tallaha Road, Scobey, who qualified as a Republican candidate for chancery clerk.
All told, 28 people have qualified for a total of 17 local county and county district seats that are up for grabs in the Aug. 8 primaries.
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The qualifying deadline for party primary and independent candidates is 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1.
Candidates for county and county district positions will file paperwork and pay any required fees at the circuit clerk’s office.
Candidates for statewide and state district seats will file with the appropriate state political party or with the secretary of state’s office.
Among offices up for grabs in Mississippi in 2023 are:
» State: Governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, auditor, treasurer, commissioner of insurance and commissioner of agriculture and commerce
» State district: State senators and representatives, transportation commissioner, public service commissioner and district attorney
» County: Chancery clerk, circuit clerk, coroner, county attorney, sheriff and tax assessor/collector
» County district: Constable, justice court judge, election commissioner and supervisor
Due to a new state law that took effect Jan. 1, election of county election commissioner seats will be staggered. This year, election commissioner posts in supervisor districts 2 and 4 will be on the ballot. In 2024, election commissioner positions in districts 1, 3 and 5 will be voted on. Commissioners will serve a four-year term, as usual.
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All candidates must file a “Qualifying Statement of Intent for a Candidate for Party Nomination.”
Candidates seeking a party nomination for county and county district offices must pay a $100 qualifying fee.
Independent candidates for county and county district offices must pay a $100 qualifying fee, in addition to submitting the usual petition signed by a stipulated number of registered voters.
Independent candidates for chancery clerk, circuit clerk, coroner, county attorney, election commissioner, sheriff and tax assessor/collector must present a petition bearing no fewer than 50 signatures.
Independent candidates for constable, justice court judge and supervisor must present a petition with at least 15 certifiable signatures.
Properly formatted petition forms are available from the circuit clerk’s offices in Charleston and Sumner.
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Also appearing on this year’s ballot for some voters in Tallahatchie County are school board positions in Education District 3 (a seat on the West Tallahatchie School District Board of Trustees presently held by Edith Gipson) and Education District 8 (a seat on the East Tallahatchie School District Board of Trustees currently occupied by Raymond Radcliff). Gipson has informed The Sun-Sentinel that she will not be seeking reelection this year.
The school board races are unique in that candidate qualifying for those positions does not begin until Aug. 10, and the deadline to qualify is Sept. 6. School board races will appear on the general election ballot.
School board candidates must file a Qualifying Statement of Intent and a petition signed by not fewer than 50 registered voters living within the boundaries of the school district. There is no qualifying fee for school board.
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Some general qualifications required of candidates, according to the secretary of state’s office, are:
• Be a qualified elector (registered voter) of the state of Mississippi and of the district, county or municipality of the office for which he or she seeks election.
• Has not been convicted of bribery, perjury or other infamous crime, being a crime punishable by a minimum of one (1) year confinement in the state penitentiary, i.e., all felonies, unless pardoned for the offense.
• Has not been convicted of a felony in a court of this state, or, on or after Dec. 8, 1992, of a felony in a federal court, or of an offense in the court of another state which is a felony under the laws of this state, as provided in Section 44 of the Mississippi Constitution; excluding, however, convictions of manslaughter and violations of the United States Internal Revenue Code or any violations of the tax laws of this state, unless the offense also involved the misuse or abuse of an office or money coming into a candidate’s hands by virtue of an office.
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A wide array of free downloadable publications brimming with information for candidates and voters alike are available from the secretary of state’s website at www.sos.ms.gov/Elections-Voting.
